What Attracts Bugs & Insects

What attracts insects?

Whether you're collecting insects or trying to avoid them, it's worth knowing what attracts them. From ants to beetles, many insects are drawn to various types of food, chemicals, and light.

Sweet Foods

Ants, for one, love sweet foods and are often be lured by cookies. Peanut butter is a reliable way to attract tree ants, but be sure to keep it out of your picnic basket if you're trying to avoid an invasion.

Fermenting Fruits

Mashing up rotting fruit and mixing it with wine and sugar is a great way to attract flies, moths, and beetles, among others. If you're trying to draw and capture insects, be sure to let the mixture sit for a few days before you put it to work.

Beer and Molasses

Beetles love a combination of beer (preferably dark beer) and molasses. Mix the two in equal parts and you'll have excellent bug bait.

Chemicals

Because insects use semiochemicals as a means of communication, there are many different chemicals that attract specific insects. Scientific studies sometimes use pheromone and other types of chemical traps.

Lights

Bugs of many different varieties are drawn to incandescent, ultraviolet, and fluorescent light sources in dim surroundings.

References

• Mississippi Entomological Museum: Baiting for Insects
• University of Florida: Insect Attractants and Traps